Improvement in grain-drills



J. IN GELS.

- Grain-Drill.

Patented Jan 6. 1863.

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'diana, have invented a certain new and useful hereby declare the following to be a full and my invention appertains to fully understand UNITED STATES JOSEPH INGELS, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON, INDIANA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- No. 37,345, dated January 6,1863.

' To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOSEPH INGELs,ofl\/lilton, in the county of Wayne and State of 111- Improvement in Seeding-Machines; and I do exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-- Figure l is a horizontal section at w .t', Fig. 2, of a drill illustrating myimprovements and adapted for sowing both grain and grass seed. Fig.2 is a vertical section of the same at y 3 Fig. Fig. 3 is anoblique section at z 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of one of. the secondary or delivery hoppers, hereinafter described. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and S are diagrams illustrating diflerent forms of gear-wheels employed to vary the feed, and which will be hereinafter more particularly referred to. Fig. i J is a perspective view of the clutch-wheel and 1 device for operating the same. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of the under side of the grass-seed hopper. Fig. 11 is a perspective view on a larger scale, illustrating the manner of attaching and adjusting the shaft upon which the movable intermediate gearwheels run. I

Similar letters of reference indicate corre parts in the several views.

My improvements particularly consist, first, in new and improved mechanism for varying the speed of the grain-delivering mechanism, so as to deposit any desired quantity upon a given area of ground; second, in an improved device for throwing the feed mechanism out of gear by the act of raising the hoes; third, in an improved manner of constructing the feed-box, through which grain is passed from the hopper to the drill-tubes; fourth, in an improved grass-seed apparatus.

To enable others skilled in the art to which and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A A represent various parts of the main frameofthe machine,running upon two wheels, B B, the former of which is keyed to theaxle I), while the wheel B runs loosely on the axle, so as to adapt the machine to turn freely. The axle b carries a common cog-wheel, G, and a bevelcog-wheel, D, the uses of which will be hereinafter explained.

E represents the grain-hopper, and F a hopper for grass-seed. The bottom of the hopper F is formed of a gage-plate, G, supported by brackets G and perforated with tapering apertures g, which may by the adjustment of the plate G be made to project beyond the edges of the brackets to any suitable distance, so as to expose such an area of apertures as may be adapted to the kind and quantity of seed to -be sown.

H is a stirrer, to which a reciprocating motion is imparted through themedium of a connecting-rod, it, working upon an eccentric wrist, t', on the upper end of a vertical shaft, I, which receives a rotary motion from the bevel-gear wheelD upon the axle b, gearing With the bevel-pinion t" on the shaft I.

Through the perforated bottom 0 ofthe grainhopper E the grain is received in feed or delivery boxes J, of peculiar construction, constituting secondary hoppers, one of which is employed for every hoe or drill tooth. The construction of these secondary or delivery hoppers will be better understood from Fig. at, which represents a perspective view of one of the said hoppers on a larger scale.

j is a concave cast in one piece with checks j j, projecting inward from each side to atford end bearings for the feed-wheel K. An inclined plate covers the feed-wheel in such a manner as to prevent the descent of grain in the rear of thewheel. The wheels K are formed on their peripheries with teeth or cavities, as shown, and are all secured to a common shaft, is, which extends from side to side.

of the machine, and is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow through the medium of a double intermediate gear-wheel, U,gearing with the wheel (3 upon the axle b, and with the wheel L upon the shaft it. In the illustration given in the drawi-ngsthe smaller part, 1, of the wheel (3 gears with the wheel L, and the larger part, 2, with the wheel 0. The effeet of this will manifestly be to rotate the feed-shaft k at a lower rate of speed; but by reversing the wheel 0 the rate of rotation of the feed-shaft may be largely increased.

Fig. 5 shows the relative diameters of the two parts of the wheel 0. Fig. 6 shows a wheel, 0 formed in two parts of more nearly equal diameter, but having a combined diameter equal to that of the two parts of the wheel 0. Fig. 7 shows a wheel in which the two parts are still more nearly equal in diameter, and Fig. 8 one in which the two parts are of equal diameter. The sum of the radii of the two parts of each of the respective wheels being equal, it will be evident that either wheel, in whichever of its two positions it may be placed, will exactly occupy the space between the peripheries of the wheels 0 and L; but every change in the wheels 0 O G 0 changes center upon which they turn. The wheels are therefore fitted to turn upon a hollow shaft, M, which is held in any required position between two slot-ted brackets, N N, by means of t a tapering horizontal bolt, 0, passing through the said shaft, and provided at one end with a head, 0, and at the other end with a clamp-nut, 0. The slots in the brackets N N extend directly between the axle I) and shaft It, so that the adjustment of the hollow shaft M up or down in the said slots will vary its relative distance from the axle b and shaft 70 as may be needful. To secure the shaft in any required position the bolt 0 is squared or ton gued for a short distance near its head, so as to fit in notches n within the bracket N, and the inner end of the hollow shaft M is provided with tongue, m, which engage in notches n on the face of the bracket N when the bolt and shaft are drawn home by means of the nut o. The notches in the brackets N N correspond in number with the changes of which the wheels are susceptible. In the present illustration the four wheels (three of them reversible) are capable of seven changes, and accordingly there are seven notches in each of the brackets. To use the wheel 0 the shaft is fixed in either the upper or lower notches, as the case may be, for the wheel O in those next to the upper or lower notches, for the wheel 0 in those immediately above or below the center, and for the wheel 0 in the center notches.

P is a hinged cap or hood, covering the gear wheels to prevent dirt or trash falling upon them to choke or injure them.

The wheel L is fitted to turn loosely on the shaft 7c, butimparts rotation theretoin one direction by means of a ratchet-rack, 7a, with which it is pressed in contact by a spring, 70 By .this means the backward motion of the wheel 13 is made to turn the wheel L freely upon the shaft 70 without imparting any motion thereto.

From the deliveryhoppers J the grain is discharged into spouts Q, which convey it to flexible tubes It, communicating with the hollow drill teeth or hoes S, in customary manner. The said hoes are each provided with two flanges, s, by which they are pivoted and braced by iron and wooden pins to drag-bars T, hinged to the forward part of the frame. The hoes may be arranged either in a single rank across the machine, or (as in the present illustration,) in two ranksone in advance of the other-the spouts Q being inclined alternately backward and forward to convey the grain to the tubes. The drill teeth or hoes are suspended by chains u from a hinged bar, U, which is provided with a lever, V, by means of which it may be turned up to raise all the hoes simultaneously, in which position the lever is held by a catch, c, upon the hopper when it is desired to remove the machine from place to place without depositing seed.

To prevent the operation of the seeding mechanism while the hoes are elevated, the bar U is provided with a projecting plate, a, which, when the said bar is turned up, acts upon the rear end of a lever, XV, fulcrumed at w to the main frame, and engaging over a flange, l, 011 the wheel L, so as to draw the said wheel out of contact with its clutch, and thus permit the wheel to turn freely on the shaft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The use of double reversible intermediate gear-wheels, substantially as shown and described, to communicate motion at any desired speed from the main axle to the seed delivery apparatus.

2. The manner of atttaching the movable shaft M at any suitable position between the axle b and shaft In to adapt it to the different sizes or positions of the intermediate wheels.

3. The combination of the leverWand flange or cam a with the pivoted bar U and wheel L to disconnect the said wheel with the shaft is by the act of raising the hoes. 1

4.. The concave j of the secondary or delivery hopper cast in one piece with checks j j, all as herein shown and described.

5. The combination of the concave j, inclined plate 1' cheeks j, and feed-wheel K, all constructed and arranged substantially as herein shown and described.

6. The movable bottom or gage plate-G, perforated with tapering apertures g, in the described combination with the supporting-brackets G, so arranged that the said brackets may cover any desired part of the apertures to regulate the delivery of seed, as explained.

JOSEPH INGELS.

Witnesses CHARLES SMITH, J. A. GAUBERSGHMIDT. 

